Tessa’s POVSaturday arrived quickly.Joseph had emailed everybody in the class, or everybody going to the dinner party, his address. I was shaking at the very thought of returning to his Villa, but I was also excited at the same time.I finished dressing and stared at myself in the mirror. I wore a black dress that rested just under my knees and kept my hair tied back. I wasn’t used to going to dinner parties and I wasn’t sure what to wear for the occasion.Thankfully, Ruby picked this outfit out for me, along with a light pink cardigan that I wore over the dress and a cute and stylish scarf.As we got to the house, I noticed the same familiar setting. Though, I didn’t notice the roses blooming every which way around the building and the numerous plants that made the house seem secluded.I also noticed that even though it was nearing dusk, his curtains were all drawn as if it was daylight.“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ruby asked as we stood outside the door of Joseph’s home. “
Tessa’s POVMy entire body had gone numb.The other students had silenced, and their attention was directly on me. I shouldn’t have been so careless. Now they know that I’ve been here before.“Yes, we knew one another from before I came to teach at the school,” Joseph spoke up, turning all our attention to him.My heart was about to burst out of my chest at any moment.What was he doing?“We’ve been pen pals for a short while,” Joseph continued. “I’ve been acting as a mentor to her.”Everyone looked back at me with wide and curious eyes.“You and Joseph Evergreen were pen pals?!” One student gasped.“You are so lucky, Tessa!” Another student chimed in.“How did you end up pen pals with him?”I met Joseph’s eyes. He watched me like he was waiting for me to tell them the story. To see what I can come up with.Maybe this was a game to him, maybe he enjoys watching me squirm like this.I turned my attention to the other students. They were all eager for me to say something in response to
Tessa’s POVI tried to catch myself on the bookshelf before I fully fell to the ground, but to no prevail. The most I did was accidentally scatter Christopher’s manuscripts all over the place.I let out a small shriek, covering my face with my hands, expecting to hit the floor soon enough. But the impact never came.When I opened my eyes and looked up, I saw Joseph standing over me with his arms around me.Did he just catch me?My entire body trembled. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the adrenaline from falling, or because I was so close to him, but for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.“What are you doing?” Joseph asked, breaking me from the small trance I was in.This time, there was less patience in his tone.He kept his hold on me for only a moment longer before setting me on the ground. My heart was still racing, as I looked up at the perimeter of the bookshelf. I fell a long way and he caught me so easily.This was only deepening my suspicion of him.I looked down at the man
Tessa’s POVI didn’t give Joseph a direct answer.I only stared at him before I found the courage to turn away and go back into the bathroom. Joseph waited in the study a little longer while I washed my hands, acting as if I was actually using the bathroom.I opened the bathroom door and saw Morgan waiting.She looked at me curiously and then did a wiggle in her spot, indicating that she really had to use the bathroom. I apologized for taking so long before stepping aside for her to run inside. Soon, she slammed the door shut.I looked at Jospeh’s office door to see that it was still sealed tightly. He must be waiting for me to return to the group before exiting. I made my way back into the living room and froze when I saw Joseph sitting on the couch with his leg crossed.It was like he had never moved.I was stunned.“Welcome back, Tessa,” he said coolly. “I was just telling the others about one of my favorite books that I just grabbed from my study.”Ruby waved me over, but I feared
Joseph’s POVI have never been much for company. I spent most of my nights alone. As a vampire, having friends seemed pointless. The friends I did have died long ago, just like everyone else in my life. I was used to the loss, though it made wanting to get close to anyone unbearable.The longer I lived, the more loss I endured.I wish to not be burdened with that dreadful feeling ever again.Meeting Tessa certainly wasn’t on my agenda when I moved to the city. But as I walked the mildly crowded streets and passed by her, the scent of her blood drew me in instantly. There was something about her that made me want to lose control.She was on her way to the bar. What she was doing at a callboy bar was beyond me. But she was with another girl, someone more ordinary, someone who didn’t capture my attention as Tessa did.When we passed, we locked our eyes. At that moment, it was like time had stopped. Her heartbeat quickened its pace, pumping the very blood that caused me to become ravenous
Tessa’s POVI stared at Joseph with an open mouth, shocked that he had just admitted to me that he was in fact a vampire.He seemed so calm and casual about this whole ordeal too. I must have looked like a deer in headlights in comparison.“Do you wish to ask me any questions?” Joseph finally asked, breaking the silence between us.I realized I had been staring at him dumbfounded for a long while, unsure of what to say. But I nodded. I had a million questions surfacing in my mind. I was between the stages of being utterly terrified, and extremely excited.A real vampire.I believed him too.That’s what was most absurd to me.“Tell me about your life as Christopher Moore. That would mean you are actually hundreds of years old, right?” I finally managed to ask, recovering myself.“Something like that,” he answered. he answered plainly and simply. “Chris was actually my main identity. I was born Christopher Moore.”“His identity has always been such a mystery…” I breathed. “Just like Jos
Joseph’s POVTalking to Tessa had become somewhat natural. It was a strange feeling and everything in my body was telling me to continue this conversation.She stared at me with wide eyes and for a moment, I wondered if I had said too much.“What do you mean by that?” She finally asked after what felt like a lifetime of silence. “You are attracted to my blood? Like a mosquito?”Her comparison took me by surprise, and I almost burst out laughing.“No,” I said, trying to hide the amused smile that surfaced on my lips. “I don’t go around biting humans and leaving annoying and itchy little bumps on them.”“Then what do you mean?” She asked a little more firmly and clearly annoyed by my teasing.“I mean I’m attracted to it. It’s akin to human love when they are alive. As long as the same blood flows through you, I would harbor feelings for you akin to love.”She looked alarmed by my explanation. I had definitely said too much that time. It was as if she had never heard those words before.
Tessa’s POVEvery ounce of my mind was telling me to run for the hills. I kept telling myself, “Tessa, are you insane? How could you stick around knowing what you know?!”But my body wasn’t listening to my mind. I sat in the living room of Joseph’s house, staring up at this incredible man, with a racing heart, knowing that he was a vampire. I should have been afraid for my life. I should be running away and screaming. I shouldn’t ever look back.But I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to learn more. I wanted to experience more.I’ve only ever written about vampires. But finding out true facts about real vampires could greatly benefit my writing.But with all the information he had given me, my mind felt like it was going to explode. I needed to leave and wrap my head around everything.He seemed to understand.Just as I grabbed my purse off the table, I accidentally knocked it over. I sighed, reaching to grab my phone that had fallen from my purse, and frowned when I saw Ruby’s name appe